About the Initiative

Poverty is a persistent issue for residents of the Capital Region, and impacts quality of life for all residents and communities. But, there are solutions, and we can help create them.

The Community Action Plan on Poverty was created by organizations in B.C.'s Capital Region convened by the Community Social Planning Council. This multi-sector coalition developed a Community Action Plan on Poverty (CAPP) to respond to the need for coordinated action on poverty reduction and prevention across a range of stakeholders and sectors, and to guide commitments with a concrete annual program of activities to create outcomes.

The Action Plan is widely endorsed by stakeholders across sectors (business, government, community services, philanthropic organizations, faith based groups, immigrant and cultural organizations, advocacy groups, media organizations, public health agencies, Aboriginal and First Nations organizations, residents and community associations), has multi-year funding from several sources including the Catherine Donnelly Foundation and United Way, and has an effective steering committee and working group structure led and facilitated by the Community Council.

Community Action Forums

Implicit in the CAPP is a commitment to public education through peer learning and creating innovative solutions to address issues related to poverty in our region. One of the ways the CAPP brings these two elements together is through convening Action Forums. Action Forums are where we discuss emerging trends, collectively analyze community strengths and gaps, and collaboratively prioritize action and begin to co-construct responses. Not only are the forums learning events where community members can learn about specific issues related to poverty in their community, participants also become an important part of creatively responding to the issues. We see the Action Forums as a way of practicing, or applying, the principles of social innovation.